Carers are this nation’s backbone. They provide thousands of hours of care and support for elderly and disabled people for free that the government and Local Authorities would otherwise have to fund.
They provide personalised, loving care for their relatives and friends in their own homes and without Carers, many people’s lives would be far less manageable and bearable. But it is important for everyone to remember that Carers are people too – and people occasionally need help or a rest.
If a Carer was in paid employment, they would receive a living wage, and would not be expected to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year. They would not be expected to work alone, providing support and care for another person all the time without having time to care for themselves. The fact is that many Carers can go for months without having the time to do something as simple as go for a haircut or a cup of tea in a café.
This is where respite care can be useful. For many Carers, the idea of having to ask for respite care (particularly for help in the form of respite care homes) is just not an option. They feel duty-bound to care for their loved ones and fear that if they were not there, their loved ones would not be looked after properly. No-one knows their loved ones like they do; no-one can care for them as effectively.
But therein lays a greater truth. For if you fear that your loved one cannot be cared for by anyone other than you… what happens if your health gives way because you burn out through overwork? It may feel immensely disloyal to even describe what you are doing as ‘work’, but if you are a Carer you need to remember that your loved one does rely on you – but if you make yourself ill by not taking a break every now and again, you’re not going to be around forever.
Respite care comes in many forms, from someone coming to look after your loved one for a few hours on one day per week, to let you do things like get the shopping done or get a haircut (or just have a nice long soak in the bath!), to allowing your loved one to enter a respite care home where their needs can be met 24 hours a day for a short period to let you recharge your batteries or go on holiday (or if you need treatment in hospital, for example).
Any of these services are available from a wide range of providers and as long as you are satisfied, from your research and from talking to the staff, that you can trust them to look after your loved one, you can relax in the knowledge that they are safe and cared for – whilst you look after yourself for a change.
